The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for exercising the abdominal muscles.
In the past there have been quite a variety of exercise apparatus available for exercising the abdominal muscles. One such apparatus includes an adjustable slant board with a pad for holding a user""s feet in place while sit-ups and crunches are performed. Another abdominal exercise apparatus supports the upper half of a user""s body while in a reclined position on the floor. This apparatus also has arm, head and neck pads for supporting a user""s arms, head and neck respectively. This apparatus has curved rocker components in contact with the floor. To exercise the abdominal muscles, the user does regular abdominal crunches aided by the fact that the apparatus rocks back and forth. Also available are machines in which a user sits. Many of these apparatus have upper torso supporting means that include pads posterior the upper torso. Others have resistance pads anterior and adjacent the user""s chest. The exerciser presses his chest forward and downward to move the pad and activate the resistance mechanism.
All of the abdominal exercise apparatus mentioned here, and many, many not mentioned have one very important fault in common. The abdominal exercise movement rotates about an axis generally along a line passing through the user""s body below and adjacent the sternum. The adjustable slant board has an axis adjacent the sternum plane. The conventional rocking apparatus has an axis adjacent the sternum plane. The seated apparatus with posterior torso support has an axis adjacent the sternum plane. One such apparatus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,893 states in it""s claims that it has an object to accomplish exercising movement about an axis along a line passing through the user""s body below and adjacent the sternum plane. And other seated apparatus with resistance pads anterior and adjacent the exerciser""s chest have the same general location of axis.
Simply stated, because the pivotable axis is near the sternum plane the abdominal muscles near the sternum are the ones which lengthen and shorten and move isokenetically. The abdominal muscles near the sternum are the upper one-third of the abdominal wall. These upper abdominal muscles get the majority of the benefit because they do the majority of the work. The lower portions of the abdominal wall do not lengthen and shorten during abdominal exercise using prior art apparatus. They flex and relax without much movement. They perform isometrically instead of isokenetically. Isometric is vastly inferior to isokenetic in its power to improve muscle condition as well as appearance. Therefore, an important fault of the prior art is an axis that is poorly located. This faulty axis can create under-developed middle and lower abdominal wall regardless of how many dedicated hours the exerciser works.
A further and very important negative result of the faulty axis of the prior art is its negative effect on the exerciser""s posture. The old adage that how one practices determines how one performs tells us something ominous about prior art abdominal exercise apparatus. Imagine an exerciser spending day after day, week after week building abdominal strength through a range of motion about an axis along a line passing through the user""s body below and adjacent the sternum. That exerciser is building up performance habit in the crunch position, upper abs shortened, middle back bent forward at the sternum plane. Now, transpose the described spine-posture onto a person standing and lifting. In other words, standing and lifting with middle back bent forward at the sternum plane. This described position is the very same position millions of people in our society get into. For millions of people the result is serious and permanent injury to their back by herniating discs. Lifting something heavy doesn""t cause this kind of injury as long as healthful spine alignment is maintained during the lift. The injury results when the posture assumed during the lifting is bent forward at the middle back with shortened upper abdominals. Prior art apparatus promote such posture.
In summary, the above mentioned apparatus of the prior art are far less than ideal because they fail to provide optimal development for middle abdominal muscles. Also, prior art apparatus are less than ideal because the postural performance habit they promote in the exerciser""s middle spine is the same one usually present when so many millions of people injure their backs.
The present invention seeks to overcome the above noted deficiencies of prior-art abdominal machines and methods while also providing other improvements. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide novel and improved methods and apparatus for exercising the abdominal muscles of the human body.
Included herein is abdominal exercise apparatus with new and better features including providing a user with a dynamic upper-body support component supporting the torso posteriorly including head, shoulder blades, upper spine down to lumbar. The dynamic upper-body support component moves with axis of movement at lumbar transverse the umbilical plane. This inventions umbilical plane axis is new with unexpected benefits including constant and safe spine alignment from head to lumbar. This spine alignment promotes healthful long-abdominal posture with no excess bending at the middle spine. There is never any bending at the sternum plane with this invention. Thus this invention promotes ideal posture which is far less prone to result in spinal injury compared to prior art abdominal exercise apparatus.
Further benefits and advantages include targeting the middle one-third of the abdominal muscles, adjacent the umbilical, as the primary and direct performer of movement. This invention establishes the lumbar, transverse the umbilical plane, as the axis, the corresponding abdominal muscles near the umbilical become the prime movers. Now with this invention the middle abdominal muscles no longer are isometric, flexing without movement. With this invention the middle abdominal muscles are isokenetic, lengthening and shortening against significant resistance. The result is that now, improvements of the middle abdominal muscles are accelerated compared to prior art apparatus. Accelerated improvements include overall muscle condition and appearance.
One preferred embodiment of the invention includes an arm component with lever attached to upper torso support means. This component allows the user""s upper body strength to assist the abdominal muscles in the process of moving the entire upper torso and the upper torso support means at the axis of the lumbar transverse the umbilical plane. The arm component makes the placement of the axis at the lumbar transverse the umbilical plane possible. Without the arm component the exerciser would be unable to lift at the described axis. Further advantages of the arm component with lever include providing needed assistance allowing those with little abdominal strength to perform this innovative abdominal exercise without difficulty. This method and approach to abdominal muscle exercise is believed entirely new. The results are exceptionally positive for the abdominal muscles as well as the closely related spine.